Undergarment.



J. F. NICHOLS.

UNDERGAEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1911.

1,071,077., Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

4M9 54W 7 By his afr orney MW%ME COLUMBIA'PLANOGRAPH COnWASHXNG'ION, n.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN IE. NICHOLS, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

UNDERGARMENT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inUndergarments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to undergarments of the union and other types, andis particularly directed to the improvement of the fastening devices forclosing the front and crotch portion of such garment.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary View in frontelevation, showing portions of an undergarment which may be assumed tobe of the union type, but which, so far as the broad idea of theinvention is concerned, may be of the individual or two-part type; Fig.2 is a detail in horizontal section on the line 02 00 of Fig. 1; andFig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the reinforcing flap of the garmentturned into an open position.

The numeral 1 indicates the body of an undergarment, the same having thecustomary overlapped front opening extended from top to the crotchthereof and provided with cooperating buttons 2 and button holes 3 ofthe well known arrangement.

The numeral 4: indicates a pliable flap preferably made up of severalplies of cloth stitched together, and, at one end, stitched or otherwisepermanently attached to the same side of the garment that is providedwith the buttons 2, in such a manner as to be substantially at rightangles to the meeting line of the edges when overlapped. At itsSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 25, 1911.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Serial No. 629,312.

extended end, this flap 4 is provided with a button hole 5 that adaptsit to be turned over that edge of that garment which is provided withbutton holes 3 and to be fastened on to one of the buttons 2 which isalso passed through one of the button holes 3. One, or more, of thesereinforcing flaps t may be employed but one thereof, should be placedfor cooperation with the last button which is at the bottom of thecrotch. This reinforcing flap not only very greatly strengthens andreinforces the garment at the crotch, but serves as a safety device toprevent accidental unbuttoning of the lower portion of the front openingof the garment.

The device adds only a trifle to the cost of the garment, and for thepurposes had in View, has, in practice, been found highly efficient.

What I claim is:

In an undergarment of the kind described having a front vertical openingterminating in the crotch of the garment and said opening havingoverlapping edges, buttons carried by one of said edges and cooperatingbutton-holes in the other of said edges, a reinforcing flap secured tothe button carrying edge at the crotch of the garment and directed awayfrom the opening, the longitudinal axis of said flap being at rightangles to the meeting line of said edges, said flap provided with abutton-hole and adapted to fold back upon itself so that the saidbutton-hole can be directly applied to a button which has been insertedthrough a hole in the button-hole equipped edge, said flap therebyembracing said button-hole equipped edge for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. NICHOLS.

WVitnesses HARRY D. KILGORE, I'IARRIET A. CREW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

